The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1887-11-22
THROUGH DIXIE.
Happening of a Week in the Sun
ny Southland.
A MYSTERIOUS CASE IN TENNEEEss,
GEORGIA.


venemous spider. The ugly reptile got into
the leg of his sock and bit him on the ankle.
lie suffered great agony from t,and the ankle,
leg ana loot was badly swollen. He is limp
lug around today.
Tueday Henry ;Feagn, of Feagin. Houston
county, was in the city, and q CONSTITUTION
reporter had short talk with him.
"How's that brag cotton patch of yours ?"
queried the scribe.
We'll, it yielded very we'll. have not got
quite all out of the field yet, but 1 have secured
one thousand pounds of lint off the acre,
making what is fully equivalent to two heavy
bales per acre.
How is your crop, generally, Mr.. Feagin?"
very lar. including my wage hands,
which | consider my own crop, have made
seventy bales off the lis acres, making about
twothirds of bale per acre"
What is the character of your soil?"
1T is sandy. What they call a light gray
SOIL; on which cotton grows off very freely. as
well as other crops"
do you use guano?"
mo, find 1t more profitable and economical
to use compost, such as l make at home By
this mean cotton seed, stable manure, ferti-
llZer from my cow lot, and other things. I
lind, that on my lands, this is far preferable to
any manipulated guano that can get"
"You fertilize heavily?'
"Oh, yes. 1t is no use for man to try to
make cotton unless he does so. On my prize acre
fortified heavily, both in the drill and broad
cast"
The monthly meeting of the Farmers alli-
ance assembled at Newman last Thursday
afternoon with closed doors. Their meetings
and proceedings were kept profound secret.
About two hundred members were present,
half OF whom were delegates from the various
clubs in the county. Their meeting was not
ar all harmonious. There is dissenson in the
tanks, and, perhaps, like the grangers they will
soon disorganize. Their object, it seems, is to
drive out all competition by electing one mer-
chant in a town to do all their buying, and
one warehouseman to sell their cotton. One
month ago they selected J. B. Mount & Co.,
Jewish firm who have recently located here,
as their merchant, and G. A. Broom as their
sole warehouse man. Merchants who have
been carrying the farmers from year to year for
the past quarter of century, and to whom the
farmers were indebted for this and last years
supplies, felt cut by the desertion of their form
er customers, and especially for going to
another store and paying cash while they were
indebted to them.
This brought about a conflict between mer-
chants and farmers, and the result is both
sides are putting on a bold front. The mer-
in self defense, the object of which
is to sell to no member of the alliance
except for cash, and stop all credit to their
members. There is certainly some foundation
for the grievances of the farmers, but all their
ills do not flow from the middlemen. 1t takes
all the capital and credit of the merchants of
Newman, Granville and Senoia to carry the
farmers annually, and there is now half mill
lion dollars on the books of the Newman mer-
chants due by their country customers.
All this trouble has been brought about by
man who says he is from Texas, and who has
been in Georgia since last June organizing
new clubs. He gets from six to nine dollars
for every club he organizes, and three dollars,
half the fee of the local organizer, on all SUBJ
sequent clubs Since June he has organized
over one hundred of such clubs in Georgia,
getting at least 200 for the same, without
comforting any material benefits. 1t is true he
gives them the password and also the grip
which admits members into the mystic CON
clave, but that is their chief benefit so far.
Every farmer with legislative or congress
sional aspirations is prompt at all their meet
ings and loud in their denunciations of
the merchants. Their declaration of principle,
would rival the creed of Mohamet and excite
the envy of Confucius in his dream of per-
feet state of felicity for mankind. 1t sounds
like extracts from Plato and Socrates, and
takes on the touch of the IDEAL In fact their
declaration of principles, if carried out, would
revolutionize our entire system of government,
shutting out all competition. placing the COM
merce between the producer and manufacturer
in the hands OF one man, closing up all stores,
save their own, and settling all disputes by
arbitration, thereby compelling the lawyers to
return to tho pillow. Everything is to be in
common, the misfortune of one member
shall be shared by all. They are to have bet
ter churches, better pastors, better school
houses and more efficient teachers. All legs-
lation-state, county and national-shall be
for their exclusive benefit. If one has a poor
crop, fails to work it as well as his neighbors,
his brother members are to make it up to him.
Their declaration of principles seem to be the
theories of Henry George boiled down, spiced
with socialism and Favored with extracts of
grangerism.
Two members in this county have already
declared themselves, so L learn, as candidates
for the legislature They expect to ride into
power upon the blinded zeal of their deluded
brothers.
Thursday they endeavored to get a newmer-
chant to take the place of j. B. Mount & Co.,
and appointed a committee to get bids from
several merchants in Newman, Senoia and
Granville, but our leading merchants refused
to bid either for cash or otherwise. The COM
mittee require the merchants to show them
their invoices and allow the alliance to say
what shall be their selling figures.
This our merchants decline to do.
The alliance members who are able,
refuse to be responsible for the debts
of the less fortunate members, which will work
a hardship ON the poorer members, who have
neither cash, collaterals nor credit 1t will also,
at the same time, place our younger merchants
and smaller dealers in a close place. They are
doing no country trade, scarcely, and unless
change comes soon, business failures will be
the result.
The farmers of Warren county have organ
lied as the Warren County Agricultural Alli-
ance.
The Carroll County Times says there are
about twenty-five lodges of the Farmers AL
lance in Carroll, and that they have selected
one house to trade with.
On Wednesday last a difficulty occurred be-
tween Mr.. Thomas Brown and Mr.. j. A. Rob-
son, on the Bynum place, in Washington coun-
ty, about the right of possession and the crop,
resulting in the shooting at Mr.. Robson by Mr..
Brown, with gun, and missing him. Brown
was agent for Mr.. w r. Thigpen, who had
bought the place for the Corbin banking COM
pany, at the sheriffs sale when the property
was sold by Robson's bondsmen. Robson
claims the place as trustee for his children, and
was gathering the crop, and disputed the right
of Brown.
There was large gathering of farmers at
Norwood at the meeting appointed to discuss
the question OF lessening the farmers ex-
penses. Farmers from all over Warren and
adjoining counties were present The meet
ing was very enthusiastic, and several rousing
speeches were made. Hon. T. N. Pool was
unoommonly eloquent. The meeting was Or
ganized under the name of the Farmers
Union," with the purpose Of finding some way
by which to cheaper the cost Of the farmers
supplies. Twenty-four hundred bales of cot
ton were pledged by reliable men upon which
to raise money TO buy supplies at cash prices
from first hands, thus saving the enormous
perceuta1e charged on goods bought on time,